A/N: So after a 7 month break from the ATLA fandom I'm back. At the time I had no idea if I would write anything more, felt like I dried up most of my writing power in my last story. Until a few weeks ago. Bang. An idea. Of University. I mean I've spent so much time in education it was kind of inevitable, I just didn't realise it.
Now, I know how done to death the whole school/university AU is and it's probably crazy that I'm even dabbling in it, especially since I love the original world and all its lore. But I kept getting so many thoughts and it wouldn't leave me alone, so I here I am.
There will be a bunch of trauma and angst (those who know me, will recall how much I love my emotions), but the whole romance scene isn't how I'm going to go about it, so be well assured it's not some rom com or something. There might be some Katara and Aang interactions but I'm not much of a romantic, so don't expect anything big. No, my angst will be coming from other sources which you'll discover as you read.
A bit of background info?
Katara is 18 yrs old
Sokka & Toph is 20 yrs old
Aang is 16 yrs old
Zuko is 19 yrs old
Azula is 18 yrs old
There are other characters and if you're interested in knowing their ages let me know. There will be bending in this AU, but it's strictly prohibited on campus, unless permitted by the lecturer for certain classes. Katara is a medical student because you know the whole healing thing kind of suited her. I'm a med student myself so I'll be weaving in my own experiences and I will be throwing in a bunch of medical terms, but I promise I will always explain them. Also the education system is based on the UK, so I'll try to explain anything in my notes that may not be widely known. I think that's all I need to fill you in about. Let me know if I miss anything.
I hope you do give this story a go, despite it being done to death, mainly because I aim to make it different and unique. Or at least I hope to. And I also aim to make a ton of parallels to the actual show. First chapters are always a little dry, but hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
Katara's POV:
After long last I snap my blue suitcase shut, pull it off my bed and onto the ground. My oceanic eyes flicker around the room, taking in all my family photos and motivational posters.
"Having second thoughts?" I spin round at the masculine voice to face my father, Hakoda, standing at the entrance of my room. I roll my eyes at him and grin.
"Are you sure it's not you that's having second thoughts?" I tease as the man crosses his arms over his chest.
"A father can't help but want his daughter to be nearby." The man jokes, though his eyes are sad. I let go of the handle on my bag and cross the room.
"Dad I'm only in the next city; I can't stay at home forever." I remind lightly and watch as he heaves a heavy sigh.
"I know, I know. It's just I keep thinking how new this will all be to you. I don't want you feeling overwhelmed honey." My father murmurs. I smile at him softly.
"I'll be fine. Remember who helps with the cooking and cleaning?" I point out, eliciting a chuckle from the bearded man.
"You do sweetheart. Although I would say that your mum does most of the work." He teases and I jut my lip out in mock hurt.
"Mum says she wouldn't have made last night's sea prunes that good without me." I joke back, but even I know I'm fooling myself. Mum is a killer chef in the kitchen.
"You keep telling yourself that darling." Hakoda voices smugly. I cross my arms.
"Anyway! It's not like I'll be completely alone, Sokka will be there." I remind and that seems to bring a small smile to the man's lips.
"That's what reassures me. Keep an eye on him, you know how enthusiastic he gets when he has an idea stuck in that head of his." Dad requests fondly as I laugh.
"I will, but I guess that's expected when someone does a Biochemical Engineering course." I say, only to be responded in kind.
"And what should I expect from a medical student?" My father quires with a quirked eyebrow.
"A ton of complaining and gory stories." I answer dryly, prompting a belly laugh from the man as he claps me around the shoulder and picks up my travelling bag.
"In that case I'll take Sokka's eccentric ideas." He states, hopping out of my room before I can whack him.
"Dad!" I complain but the smile on my lips gives away my absence of any real annoyance. Together we march down the stairs to find Sokka standing by the door and tapping his foot impatiently.
"You took forever! I didn't take nearly this long to pack when I first left." My brother moans. I shoot him a stink eye and am just about to retort when a maternal voice rings out.
"Sokka, be nice to your sister." I turn to face my mum with a wide smile while ignoring the incoherent grumblings behind me. I drop my shoulder bag and run to give my mum a tight hug. 'We've never been apart for longer than a day. It will be strange not to see her for weeks. At least dad used to have his business trips and I've got used to not seeing Sokka that much in the past two years, but with mum it's different.' I bury my face into her shoulder.
"I'm really going to miss you mum." I whisper and feel her arms tightening around me.
"And I will miss you more Sunshine. But I promise that you'll enjoy uni so much that you'll forget all about us, just like your brother did." At this I feel my mum lift her head to give Sokka a pointed look who raises his hands defensively.
"Hey! Engineering is hard work!" The pony-tailed teenager argues.
"And yet you had time to go to all those Earth rumble matches." Dad muses. I watch in amusement as my brother digs his hands into his pockets and kicks at the floor.
"Fine, I'll call more. Happy now?" Sokka surrenders begrudgingly, but I can tell that he doesn't really mind. It's all just part of his 'big man persona' that he developed when he went to uni. My mum's lips curl up into satisfied smile.
"Thrilled. Well, you two best head off if you want to reach campus before it gets dark." My mother ushers, giving me a final squeeze before releasing me. I go to give my dad a hug while Sokka embraces Mum.
"See you soon Mum." I hear him say warmly before turning my attention to Dad and hug him tightly.
"I'll see you for the Christmas holidays Dad." I murmur as the man returns the embrace.
"Good luck sweetheart. Study hard, but make sure not too hard." He advises before releasing me. I wait for Sokka by the door and together we look back at our parents.
"We love you both very much. Make sure you take care of each other and check in with us regularly." Mum urges and simultaneously we chirp back our promises of agreement to do just so.
"And have fun! University is an adventure. Try new meals and societies." Dad adds with a grin, resulting in him to be on the receiving end of an elbow to the ribs.
"Don't encourage them to give up on my cooking recipes." She berates, but I know that she doesn't mind that much. Soon we're out of the door and with a wave goodbye we reach my brother's small dark blue car he got for his birthday. Before I can haul my suitcase into the boot, my brother's lightning reflexes grab the handle and stows the heavy bag into the boot.
"I could've done it." I protest while rounding the car to take the passenger's seat. He waits until he's seated on the driver's side before answering.
"Trust me, I know you can. But thought I might as well play the part of being a big brother." He says smoothly while flashing me a grin. I snort but a smile tugs at my lips regardless and soon we're off.
It takes 3 long hours before we reach the city of Yu Dao. And a further hour to unpack everything in my dorm, even with Sokka's help.
"I told you, you packed too much." He complains after cracking his back. I roll my eyes.
"Are you sure you're not just getting old?" I joke as I stow away my now empty suitcase into my cupboard.
"For your information, I'm not old. Just mature." Sokka answers petulantly. I snort.
"Not quite the word I'd use." I retort.
"You're starting to make me hope that you'll be stuck with annoying room-mates." He grumbles. I chortle at this.
"So much for playing the role of big brother." I snark back, but pause in thought. "What's your flatmates like?" I ask, half curious and half anxious. I watch the boy place an opaque white bag on my bed before answering. His hand scratching the side of his head in thought.
"Welllll, they're certainly something. Toph is the biggest tomboy I've ever meet. Teo is cool; he's actually on my course which is great and then there's Jet who's a jerk." Sokka mutters with a scowl. I stare him with slack jaws.
"That's definitely a mixed bag. Are any of them benders?" I query, earning me an eye roll.
"Of course you'd ask that. Only Toph is. I have to admit she's a wicked awesome earthbender, even with her sight impairment." Sokka answers, his tone laced with awe. I blink twice.
"Wait she's blind and can bend?!" I exclaim in astonishment, but the boy shakes his head.
"Not entirely blind, just partially. She can pick out fuzzy features of people when they're super close. Yeah we had one awkward introduction." He laughs in embarrassment. Before I can ask further he points at the mysterious bag he was holding onto earlier. "Anyway, this is from mum. Said it was a small gift to remind you of home or if you felt homesick." My brother utters. My face softens at the sweet gesture and I go to open the bag. I pull out a small notebook, a stethoscope drawing is etched on its front. Opening the journal I find something written on the inside of the cover:
This is the start of a new adventure Sunshine. It will be a mixture of ups and downs but know that through it all I'll always be here for you. Love you forever.
My eyes water at the heartfelt message and I hug it to my chest, already feeling close to her again. "Why didn't she give it to me at home?" I query, gazing at my brother who shrugs.
"She said that she wanted you to have it here. Something about wanting to remind you of home when you got here." He answers vaguely. I blow a strand of hair out of my face.
"You're a terrible messenger." I state bluntly.
"And you're a terrible receiver." He shoots back seriously before grinning. He goes to ruffle my hair before heading towards the door.
"Right I should go. Promised Teo we'd get a head start on our project. Will you be ok here?" The pony-tailed boy quires gently. I wave him away.
"Of course. You go ahead. Tomorrow you can give me a proper tour before freshers." I reassure and watch as he disappears through the door. Once it clicks softly. I go to sit on my bed and gaze at my new notebook, smiling all the more. 'This is going to be a good year.'
A/N: So I hope you enjoyed reading. Please review to let me know your thoughts and whether there's anything you liked or not.
Felt Sokka studying a Biochemical Engineering course was fitting because he loves his science and more than that he loves trying to create things based on that science. Again, Katara was known for healing so it was fitting for her to be a medical student. I didn't make Toph completely blind, just on the basis that it will be easier to write descriptions for her whenever it's her turn to have POV chapter. Anyway hope you liked it, drop some feedback and hopefully see you soon.
Keep well guys.